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Gilles Gilbert in goal for my beloved Boston Bruins. Source: https://chehockey.wordpress.com (May be subject to copyright) |
What people may not remember was that Gilles Gilbert was also the first star of that game, making save after save to keep the Bruins in it, including one where a shot went between his legs but he closed them at the last second to trap the puck and force a face off. It was incredible.
But that seemed to be the story of Gilles Gilbert’s career, great performances overshadowed by something else.
He was my favourite goalie back then, so I was sad to hear yesterday that Gilles Gilbert passed away at the age of 74.
The years before
My earliest memories of Gilles Gilbert come from “The Hockey News”. My brother, who is 10 years older than me, had been a big hockey fan and had accumulated a brown shopping bag full of the magazine. When he went off to college, he left those magazines behind.
My earliest memories of Gilles Gilbert come from “The Hockey News”. My brother, who is 10 years older than me, had been a big hockey fan and had accumulated a brown shopping bag full of the magazine. When he went off to college, he left those magazines behind.
That’s where I saw Gilles Gilbert playing net for the Boston Bruins, who became my favourite hockey team when they faced the Montreal Canadiens in the 1978 Stanley Cup final.
He wore this white fibre glass mask, and seemed to be small in the net, but he was always in that goalie crouch.
I learned he played his junior for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, was drafted in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft by the Minnesota North Stars, and played for the them from 1969 to 1973. In May of 1973 he was traded to the Bruins in exchange for Fred Stanfield.
Gilbert was a replacement for Gerry Cheevers who had jumped to the Cleveland Crusaders of the upstart World Hockey Association. He played in the NHL All-star Game, played in 54 games, with 34 wins, 12 losses, eight ties, a career high six shutouts, a goals against average of 2.95, and helped lead the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost in six games to the Philadelphia Flyers. In 16 playoff games, Gilbert went 10-6 with one shutout and a goals against average of 2.64.
He remained the Bruins starter for the 1974-1975 season where he won 23 games, lost 17 and tied 11 in 53 games, recording three shutouts and a 3.13 goals against average, and for the 1975-1976 season where he won 33 games, lost eight, tied 10, recorded three shutouts and a goals against average of 2.90. That year he set the NHL record for most consecutive wins by a goaltender with 17.
Cheevers returned to the Bruins in 1976, and they played together until the end of the 1979-1980 season. They were runners-up-up for the Vezina Trophy in 1980.
It should be noted in that 1979 Stanley Cup semi-final, he replaced Cheevers after the first two games of the series, which the Bruins lost, leading them back to that sudden death Game 7. In the five games he played, he was voted the game’s first star three times. He was just amazing.
Dawn of the decade
Tragedy struck – at least for me – at the dawn of the 1980s. On July 15, 1980, Gilles Gilbert was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender Rogatien “Rogie” Vachon. It was the end of an era for me. The fact I liked Rogie Vachon, who I’d seen play for the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit, softened the blow somewhat.
Tragedy struck – at least for me – at the dawn of the 1980s. On July 15, 1980, Gilles Gilbert was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender Rogatien “Rogie” Vachon. It was the end of an era for me. The fact I liked Rogie Vachon, who I’d seen play for the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit, softened the blow somewhat.
I saw Gilles Gilbert play maybe once more.
He played three more seasons from 1980 through 1983, retiring after the 1982-1983 season. His numbers and playing time plummeted when he went to Detroit.
In the 1980-1981 season he won 11 games, lost 24, tied nine, and his goals against average was 4.01, in 48 games. In the 1981-1982 season, he won six, lost 10, tied six, and had a goals against average of 4.26, in 27 games. In the 1982-1983 season, he won four games, lost 14, tied one, and had a goals against average of 4.49 in 20 games. He also spent some time in the minors, winning three games and losing none. Through his time in Detroit he had no shutouts and Detroit never made the playoffs.
Parting thoughts
It’s funny. I never saw Gilles Gilbert play that much in real life, but I had built him up in my mind from reading about him in “The Hockey News” and using my plain old imagination. I remember playing with a goalie stick and ball, shooting it against a wall then trying to make the save when it rebounded back at me.
It’s funny. I never saw Gilles Gilbert play that much in real life, but I had built him up in my mind from reading about him in “The Hockey News” and using my plain old imagination. I remember playing with a goalie stick and ball, shooting it against a wall then trying to make the save when it rebounded back at me.
I always pretended to be Gilles Gilbert.
Yet, he seemed trapped behind Gerry Cheevers, who seemed to be the Bruins only playoff goalie, so I kind of resigned myself to not seeing him play.
Then, out of the blue, he started Game 3 of that 1979 Stanley Cup semi-final against Montreal, and he was as a good as I always pictured.
My last solid, and best memory of him, is bittersweet.
He was skating out onto the ice as the game’s first star after that Game 7 overtime loss to Montreal.
He was gracious to the end.
Rest in peace Gilles, and thanks for the great memories – real and imagined.
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